The other day before leaving London, I decided to take the bus that leaves not far from where I was staying (just to see what sights I might be able to see along the way), then walk “a little bit” from where the bus ended to Buckingham Palace. I saw a lot of beautiful architecture while riding on the bus and even passed St. Paul’s Cathedral and park – very beautiful and very old!! After “alighting” from the bus (I love that British word they use on the bus recording – “please alight here for” ….whatever the station or stop is) – anyway after getting off the bus, I headed in the direction of Buckingham Palace and walked…and walked….and WALKED!!!
Somehow in the maze that IS the center of London (amidst all the chaos of tourists milling about everywhere!!!), I wandered almost 4 miles – at first looking for Buckingham Palace, then searching for my return bus (which I finally found – next to a Starbucks – whew)!! It probably would have been helpful to have a map, but I kept thinking it would be “just around the corner”, so I just kept walking and wandering!!
At one point, I finally stopped and asked a couple guards for directions – and of course since they looked official with their rather large guns, I asked them what they were guarding! Turns out I'd almost wandered myself into the back entrance parking area of St. James Palace (built by King Henry VIII in the 1530s) and the Clarence House (“the London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall” according to Google!!). I’m sure I wouldn’t have wandered far with those guards at the gate, but it was kinda fun to imagine myself knocking on the back door and saying hello to Charles and Camilla!!
I finally found Buckingham Palace (a beautiful, ornate structure) where I sat on the wall of the fountain across the street and chatted with a lovely Egyptian family visiting England. They had a sweet 10-month old boy that I made eye contact with – and from there it was like we were old friends!! I couldn’t help but think that our world would be so much different with less prejudice and more acceptance if people of different cultures were able to just interact casually like this – seeing that we are all really the same (wanting the best for our babies and curious about all the sights to see in a new place). I think this is why I travel (and why I encourage travel) – it keeps us from becoming too stagnant in our beliefs and perceptions, challenging us with real life experiences and interactions with those who are different than we are!
I think I’ve had my fill of sight-seeing for now and am looking forward to leaving for France! I’m a little nervous about not knowing any French, but I’m sure a smile and a lot of gestures will go a long way in helping me to connect with those who speak a different language!
And let me just say….I’ll be glad to get back to a country where they drive on the same side of the road as I’m used to, especially if I’m going to be driving!! I can’t seem to remember which way to look for the oncoming traffic when crossing the road, etc. here in the U.K. – I’m just lucky they have good pedestrian laws so I didn’t get run over a few times!!
And finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of tidbits of information I came across in my time here. I’m a bit of a “random information nerd” and have this compulsion to research things once I become curious about something, so I’ll share it with any of you who might be interested!! First of all, the reason surgeons are called Mister instead of Doctor in the U.K. is because the original surgeons were BARBERS with medical training. I’ve watch enough British TV shows and movies and wondered about why they would say “call the surgeon – Mr. So-and-So” (instead of Dr. So-and-So) and now I know why!!
The second bit of information is about the history of how different countries ended up driving on opposite sides of the road. Here’s what I found…In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him.
In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver’s seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.
In the early years of English colonization of North America, English driving customs were followed and the colonies drove on the left. After gaining independence from England, however, they were anxious to cast off all remaining links with their British colonial past and gradually changed to right-hand driving. Here's the link if anyone wants to read the full story: http://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/
So there you have it – little tidbits of information and an account of my unintentional walking tour of London! Off to France now and "au revoir" (which is about the only French I know for now)!!
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| St. James Castle |
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| Clarence House |
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| Buckingham Palace Where I enjoyed the view from the Fountain! |
I think I’ve had my fill of sight-seeing for now and am looking forward to leaving for France! I’m a little nervous about not knowing any French, but I’m sure a smile and a lot of gestures will go a long way in helping me to connect with those who speak a different language!
And let me just say….I’ll be glad to get back to a country where they drive on the same side of the road as I’m used to, especially if I’m going to be driving!! I can’t seem to remember which way to look for the oncoming traffic when crossing the road, etc. here in the U.K. – I’m just lucky they have good pedestrian laws so I didn’t get run over a few times!!
And finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of tidbits of information I came across in my time here. I’m a bit of a “random information nerd” and have this compulsion to research things once I become curious about something, so I’ll share it with any of you who might be interested!! First of all, the reason surgeons are called Mister instead of Doctor in the U.K. is because the original surgeons were BARBERS with medical training. I’ve watch enough British TV shows and movies and wondered about why they would say “call the surgeon – Mr. So-and-So” (instead of Dr. So-and-So) and now I know why!!
The second bit of information is about the history of how different countries ended up driving on opposite sides of the road. Here’s what I found…In the past, almost everybody travelled on the left side of the road because that was the most sensible option for feudal, violent societies. Since most people are right-handed, swordsmen preferred to keep to the left in order to have their right arm nearer to an opponent and their scabbard further from him.
In the late 1700s, however, teamsters in France and the United States began hauling farm products in big wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. These wagons had no driver’s seat; instead the driver sat on the left rear horse, so he could keep his right arm free to lash the team. Since he was sitting on the left, he naturally wanted everybody to pass on the left so he could look down and make sure he kept clear of the oncoming wagon’s wheels. Therefore he kept to the right side of the road.
In the early years of English colonization of North America, English driving customs were followed and the colonies drove on the left. After gaining independence from England, however, they were anxious to cast off all remaining links with their British colonial past and gradually changed to right-hand driving. Here's the link if anyone wants to read the full story: http://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/driving-on-the-left/
So there you have it – little tidbits of information and an account of my unintentional walking tour of London! Off to France now and "au revoir" (which is about the only French I know for now)!!
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